Oh my goodness, March is here already ! Not that I am worried about having a ‘beach ready body ‘ 😉 but time is racing by !!
Another week has passed and another one begins right here. So whatever your successes or struggles last week, let’s move on together.

You know the aims now….to help, support and encourage at all times and to keep you going however tough it may feel as you start out/restart/try to stay motivated. The prize is good health and feeling and looking well ! .Put any guilt and self -recriminations behind you right now. Move on , join us or continue with us.

Sunny B and Wendy wendleg are here to give as much encouragement as we possibly can , supported by lots of very experienced and knowledgeable members ( you know who you are !)

So please pop in and let us know how you are doing. We haven’t forgotten those who still haven’t checked in. Come back !!!

articfox ….that appointment was about vertigo and was very challenging so it is hardly surprising that fasting has proved difficult.

Give yourself a bit of time to readjust. You don’ t need to worry . Fasting can only be incorporated when it feels comfortable, it’s ok. I haven’t fasted since I was in hospital, coming up for 2 weeks. I stretch out my first meal to midday so no breakfast which is all I can manage when I am at home. That will change when I go back to work.

You are doing very well, especially after all the health issues you have had to face so don’t allow yourself to feel down right now. You will soon get into a routine that you prefer.

xxx

Good and bad news. So far I’ve lost 10 pounds after just two weeks! However after leaving my lunch at home, I ended up having two portions of dinner. I’m still within calorie count, but I feel stuffed. This makes me think my stomach is shrinking and I need less food, which is great, but I’m worried that I’ve undone all my hard work in one sitting. I know I must sound mad, but is that possible?

I’d like to join in if I may?!
Started Fast800 last Wednesday but felt joining in the weekly thread then was a bit cheeky on account of pancakes last Tuesday. That was the kick I needed to get myself together and commit to doing this properly.
Been on plan since then, which is an achievement as I struggle with weekends and travel, currently in Norway pleased with myself for omitting all refined carbs for 24hrs whilst surround by them.
Hoping to keep up the motivation by I know I’ll start to flounder. Sometimes feels like I have to work so so hard to see progress, please help me stay focused and on track.

Great work, RR! No wonder you’re chuffed No bad news there at all. As a voracious reader of these forums and the various reference books I know that many of us have one meal a day all or some of the time. Total calories in are no different and all you’ve done is unintentionally extended your fast. Don’t worry. I have OMD maybe a few days a week when work is really busy and it’s never caused any gain or interfered with progress as far as I can tell.
I have had lots of panics over the last 8 weeks that I have made huge mistakes- none of them were actually huge, or even mistakes most of the time. This WOE doesn’t mean that we have to be perfect anyway (thank goodness).
Thanks for getting us going again, Wendleg and SunnyB. Want you to know that I’ve had a flipping awful day (not food wise) and knowing you’re all out there somewhere has really helped keep me going and stopped me reaching for a sweet, carby pick-me-up.

Hi all,
Checking in for another week.
I’ve had a couple of days with a bad cold. Panicked bit thinking about Corona as I was in Tenerife a week ago, but no such symptoms, only normal cold.
Am back at weight from pre-holiday after one week back. Now ready to move on and down.
Just wanted to say thanks to the excellent posts in the “Take a look at that” thread – can recommend for all beginners. Got quite into Dr Robert Cywes after seeing his name there, lot’s of facts about carb-addiction.
Best of luck to all for the week.

My first day today! Not done too badly…lots of trips to the loo due to a big increase in water lol 😉 My food window is 12 till 6pm which hasn’t been too bad. I think I may struggle more at the weekend but hopefully will be in the swing of things by then. Hope everyone is doing well 🙂

Thanks for setting this up again Wendy, I’m still in! I am determined to chip away to get into the next 10kg bracket down but it is proving elusive. you’ll here me cheer worldwide when it happens as it will coincide with a ‘healthy BMI’’. It’s not hugely important in the grand scheme of things but is definitely my goal. More importantly are the lower blood sugars which have kicked the Pre diabetes into touch as well as feeling fitter and healthier at last.

Sorry you had a horrible day Bryla, isn’t it a great achievement not to resort to the carbs?!

You can do this WindyJulz, one day at a time is all it takes and getting back on the horse when we slip off occasionally.

Olive_1 I enjoyed Cywas too. It made so much sense and helped to keep me focussed.

Great job EllieAllegra, KOKO as they say in these parts!

It’s a lovely day here today so planning to get my steps in and strengthen these muscles to increase my insulin sensitivity. Onwards peeps, we’ve got this! Kim

Hello everyone – coming over to this thread from February. I’m into week three now and in total have lost 11lbs which I am over the moon about. My NSV was fitting into my ski trousers – they’re loose around my waist! I tried to get them on in feb and managed after undoing all the extra panel zips and not sitting down, so this is a real achievement for me. I’m going skiing again at the weekend and I can’t wait

Hi SineadinCH,
What a great feeling! I’ve had the same experience with ski-outfit, and it is great. Enjoy your upcoming skiing.

Hi Everyone.Im still here
one step forward one back. one good day followed by one poor day.Over all weight is static and Im counting that as a positive.Ive started some crochet to keep me busy when Im peckish.I have plenty of prepared food in the freezer.I’ve been thinking a lot about why Im struggling and come to the conclusion that Im in a viscious circle no results so less motivated then some small results and I eat for a reward. So undo my progress.my friend advised me to increase weiging and recording to really emphasize my goals and plan a nonfood reward so lets see what happens.I hope everyone is doing well

Really great to see so many joining in here and a big welcome to our newcomers.
Butterlover, planning mini goals and non-food rewards for achieving them, is an excellent idea. Try not to be so down on yourself, that negative energy is counter productive. We are all human, we all trip and slip – what is important is that we get up and march forward.
Kimeliz, you’ll get there, just keep plugging away and we’ll be seeing you posting about hitting that goal very soon.
Ellie, good to have you with us. Shout out if you have any questions or need support etc.
Sinead, happy skiing in those nice comfy ski trousers!
Olive, glad your cold was only that and congrats on getting rid of the holiday gain so rapidly.
Windy, there’s no need to worry about any damage from pancake day, it will be minimal and well done on resisting the carbs whilst away. It is more difficult to stay focused at the weekend… or at least I find it so. However, you’ll soon hit your stride and they won’t bother you so much.
Russian, that’s a brilliant result in two weeks and I’m confident that you’ll find dinner last night has made no difference to your results.

Okay, well I’m disappointed to have to report that I wasn’t able to consolidate the lowest reading I got on the scales last week. Indeed, sadly I have to report a small blip upwards. This means I begin the week a pound up and frustratingly still 2lb off target. I’m hoping this is partly transit related, but regardless, will endeavour to have a more positive result to report this time next week. I now have four weeks left to make target before our next trip away, so really need to knuckle under now.

Keep on keeping on everyone and keep posting please.

Hello everyone
Just reading a few posts where people are feeling a bit down and discouraged. I really wish I could give you the magic solution . I don’t think there is one but this is what I believe to be true, based on my humble experience, and what has helped me.
This is my MARCH MOTIVATION POST 😉

It is important to take charge of your own health and refuse to allow any excuses to insiduously slip in .
Keep your WHY visible at all times . I think the best WHY is for health rather than a particular weight/size but the two are no doubt linked.
Stop thinking about how you feel deprived of certain ‘ comfort’ foods and instead think of how you are preventing serious health issues further down the line.
This may not work for everyone but for me the only way forward is to not allow the slightest amount of sugar at any time. No little bit of bread, cake , not one single processed food. I can’t do things in moderation.
I have started seeing food as nutritious and not as a reward and that drives every single thing I put in my mouth.

I have a stubborn streak which rebels against the idea of being controlled by anything and that really keeps me focused. I don’t want a toxic substance like sugar to control me. It’s so liberating to feel I am choosing for ME and that the cravings are no longer controlling me

I am no different from any of you and have had my struggles so I really do understand the difficulties.I am almost 62 and for the first time in my life I am free of the tyranny that has hounded me since adolescence. I want you to believe it really is possible but you do have to put the work in and think LONG TERM . You are surely worth that effort ?
Stepping down from my motivational soap box now 😉
Lots of love everyone xx

My target wedding went really well, the bride was beautiful and the groom handsome! On the day, as planned, I completely dismissed any pretense of control and ate was was put in front of me and drank like a fish! However, after 8 weeks with this WoE I found that I simply couldn’t eat as much, I didn’t go for seconds and didn’t need to drink as much to get the same effect.
The following day I found myself just eating low carb foods despite the opportunity to indulge. The motivation to not undo the good work was simply too high and I didn’t miss it!
Overall I had put on just under a Kilo (2 pounds) and that was gone by this morning after a day of 800 Cal. Monday is my planned low calorie day going forward, which was convenient.
I had nothing but astonished, amazed and positive remarks from my friends and family as I had managed to keep my weight loss a secret from them all and the suit looked amazing.
Thank you all for your support, I will be sticking around as I have further goals to reach and food demons to battle.

WOO HOO PhoenixBurns ! That is fantastic . So pleased you looked amazing in your suit !!! Brilliant !

Great too that a family celebration did not completely throw you and any understandable indulgence was soon balanced out by the following days.

Yes those food demons are very persisitent but you can beat them because you have different tools and strategies to deal with them now. Your efforts brought great rewards and you should be very very proud !!!

So glad you are sticking with us PB !

🎉🎉Woohoo, Phoenix!!! So glad the wedding was as you hoped it would be and the small gain was ditched so rapidly. All due to your focus and determination, so a huge well done to you. Pleased you will be sticking around to encourage us all to keep on keeping on.

Welcome new folks! Well done for taking the plunge. This bunch here are just great and will keep you going. Wendy’s motivational posts are worth their weight in gold on their own (Thank you, Wendy).
So, so chuffed for you PhoenixB! Sounds like you had a great time and the fact that your attitude towards the indulgent food on offer had changed so fundamentally is really encouraging. Well done indeed.
Can I pick everyone’s brains, please? I’m not expecting any clear answers, just need to offload something that’s preoccupying me and getting in the way of work focus today. I reckon I have 7lbs to go before I wouldn’t want to discard much more, presuming that takes care of the spare tyre, which has been ‘outside’ goal all along. I think i might be skinny fat at this point… So that would likely take another 3-4 weeks of 800/less than 20g carbs, based on the journey so far and assuming I don’t get mugged by a ton of ginger biscuits. BUT, if I need to increase my calories gradually – (which I’m sure I do) and I will continue to discard until I get back up to maintenance calories (which I believe is the case – about 1400 or so for me), then do I need to start increasing a bit now, or am I overthinking it? Can’t believe I could ever be worried about losing too much weight, but I am a little bit. I know it takes time to find some equilibrium, but don’t want to yo-yo too wildly if I can avoid it. I’m not sure about that 7lbs – could be an underestimate or an overestimate since who knows what my body will do.

Hi Bryla . Glad my posts are helpful 😉
I may not be the best person to advise you about your next stage as I have more than 7lbs to go before I can think about maintaining .I have at least a stone I reckon and it’s very slow going.
JGwen is better placed to discuss gradually increasing calories as I think she has mentioned this before. Merry has experience too ?

I think what I would do is a type of 5:2 programme without going overboard on the ‘feasting days’. Ultimately I think it is vital to stay low carb so you don’t suddenly reawaken the cravings and go back to eating carbs haphazardly . I initially thought I could go back to eating certain foods ( especially loads of fruit) when I got to ‘target’ but the reading I have done and advice given here has shown me that staying low carb is key to sustaining weight discard. It’s not just a weight loss program after which you can go back to previous eating habits.
I think you have had great success so far Bryla and you don’t need to worry too much. You understand the process .It might just take a bit of trial and error to find your happy weight.

Hi Bryla,

I am with Wendleg on this one. When I started out I presumed that once I had discarded the weight I could go back to some of my old eating habits. I now realise that is not practical.
I believe that the secret to success is staying low carb and increasing calories. Right now you are putting your body into a position where part of its fuel comes from the excess fat, once you feel you don’t have any extra fat to discard, then you can increase the calories from the fat you eat. Melted butter added to your veg for example.
That’s not to say you can never eat carbs again. . For example, if you are at a wedding you don’t have to refuse the sliver of cake, but cake every week will put you back to having high insulin levels again.

Thanks for the lovely warm welcome everyone 🙂 Day two has gone reasonably well…had a few cravings but just acknowledged them and decided that they had no value to me! I’ll be tracking my weight and measurements but am also monitoring my physical health….or rather, focussing on how much better I feel or how much more I can move. One day at a time is my mantra! Hope everyone is doing well – I know things might not always go to plan so will try and remain focused on the big picture….as with so many things, it isn’t about the one offs but all about the overall trend 🙂

Well done, Ellie Allegra! What a great mindset to be starting out with. I think it took me a little while to learn some of the lessons you have already embraced. Still learning.
Thanks for the advice, Wendleg and JGwen. I have completely internalised the low carb way of living. Not that I don’t experience temptation (and I probably always will), but I have no interest in returning to old habits. I never want to live in a body again that felt how mine did for years. I am actually quite scared of jeopardising any health and cognitive benefits. I know what I should be eating for maintenance, but it’s when I should start moving that way that is the puzzler.
I found this comment from Jason Fung on the DD website last night: “There is no specific transition. Weight loss will generally plateau at a specific weight. Sometimes that weight is too high, and that means changing the dietary regimen. The principles all remain the same. Eat if you are hungry. Do not eat if you are not. If you want to lose more weight, increase fasting periods. Eat real foods. etc.”. So maybe I just trust Dr Fung and my body and wait to see when the discard stops. There are so many different measures of healthy weight/shape out there that all contradict each other and trying to understand them all has short-circuited my brain 😩. Definitely overthinking it.
Another lb down today. I think I should bin the scales now and just focus on my waist to height ratio as the best indicator of a health-based goal for me. Probably won’t resist a sneaky weigh-in for long, though!
Lots of love and strength to everyone. I’d be lost without you all!

Hi Everyone, I’ve just logged back into my BSD app after a long absence, mostly due to life getting in the way of life 😂😂 sorry I’ve been away so long. I just seem to run out of time.
I has a quick search and I see some of my comrades are still on this thread so thought I’d pop in and say a massive HELLLOOO. I hope everyone is OK, I’m so sorry I dropped off a cliff, we had major stressy staffing issues, then my daughter got quite poorly etc etc. Anyway things are now a bit more on track (for now 😬😬). I was prompted to reconnect as I just received my annual MOT test results…the first since May last year 🥁🥁🥁
I am delighted that my HBa1c has improved further along with my cholesterol. So I am still in Type 2 remission. I have maintained my weight loss so I’m still hanging around between 77-75kg I tend to float up and down now. My approach at the moment is TRE everyday, I don’t eat till 1pmish then nothing after 8 pmish. I’m still BSDing but don’t really calorie count at the mo. I have had brief forays into carb-land I’m afraid but I totally feel OK with that….I’m not beating myself up about it, although I always feel hungrier the day after 🙄.
I really hope everyone is happy and healthy xxxxxx

Hi Everyone.Thanks for the positive feedback. Im feeling better today.more aware of my eating habits and stayed closer to plan.I still need to stay vigilant and do more advanced planning. One day at a time.

Thanks for updating us, Shellbob, you have done brilliantly. You certainly seem to have cracked the maintenance and found a way to make BSD work with your life style long term.

Butterlover, glad you are feeling more positive today and in control. As you say, one day at a time …. you’ll get there one step at a time.

Hi there, I’m still motivated and been keeping to about 800 calories but ate more carbs on a couple of days, as a result I only lost 1lb this week. Just proves that I really need to keep the carbs low to carry on losing, plus I’ll need to be careful with carbs when I get to target. At least I know now 😉

Hi all, so day 3 is done – had a busy day and been feeling the cold so I guess my body might be entering a ketotic state (although in fairness it has been bloomin’ cold out anyway!). Due to be out for a meal on Friday night as well as a conference on Saturday – have tried looking up menus to suss out low carb options. I don’t drink much alcohol so will be happy with sparkling water at least. Anyway, have already started planning some meal ideas for next week so feeling on track. Hope everyone has had a good day – one step at a time! 🙂 xx

Hi everyone,
I weighed in today and last week’s water retention gain is gone and the scales are back to 90.9kg. Interestingly though I was wearing my nice trousers again today and I had to pull the belt in by yet another hole, which turns out is the last hole in the belt. Couldn’t even get it into the last hole when I first bought this pair. I tried on my brown wool goal pair and they are definitely fitting even looser as well, almost in-public wearable. So looks like progress is still being made, even though I would love to be rid of another kg and get down into the 80’s again! The scales will eventually have to catch up or at this rate I will be the heaviest stick insect around!
I had to go into the city for a meeting this morning. I fasted the whole time and then came back to some meetings at the office, so didn’t end up eating lunch until 3:30pm. This meeting is a regular occurrance in my schedule and so I know that they always have pastries and juice on offer. I always avoid the juice and just have water, but in the past the pastries have been hard to resist. Today they were cinnamon rolls but they were under a plastic cover and nobody else was eating them either, so that really helped. I just stuck to water the entire time. Then at the end of the meeting, the organizer tried to foist the leftovers onto everyone ‘just take one for the road’, and I just said no thanks. My other accomplishment for this meeting is that it was on the 21st floor and I know from experience that the fast moving lift can really set off my vertigo. Because I had to drive back to the office by myself today, I knew I couldn’t risk getting dizzy, so I walked up 21 flights of stairs! I had to stop several times to catch my breath, but I made it. So I guess I got in my HIIT workout today as well.
Thanks Wendy for the advice about getting back into fasting. I’m trying to take things slowly and get back into things a bit gradually. I managed 24 hours on Monday, stayed very low carb on Tuesday and had 2 meals and then today I was trying for 24 hours again, but took a lunch with me as I was feeling quite hungry this morning, and ended up eating it at 20.5 hrs. I think I didn’t get enough calories yesterday, so that was why I was hungrier than usual. Will try again on Friday.

Hi everyone “one week at a time” seems just what I need – at the moment for me it’s one day at a time – if I can get through one day then I can get through the next and the next. So far I’m on my 2nd day and it’s so far so good – it’s a learning curve for me looking at my eating habits and asking myself how I can eat less and eat healthier. For example my breakfast of oats, berries, yogurt, milk, seeds and nuts sounds healthy and in keeping with the fast800 diet but it’s too big I feel uncomfortable and bloated after eating it – I eat it because I’m hungry, because it’s “healthy”, I have this weird thinking in my head that the more healthy food I pack in the healthier I’ll be. So today I’ve cut the quantity down as well as cutting out the nuts (I can have them later on if I want them) and I didn’t die or starve!! If I can do it today I can do it again.

I need to lose at least two stone for my health mainly as I was diagnosed with Gastro oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and a hiatus hernia a year ago. I’m on 20 mg omeprazole daily. All the medical advice says to lose weight to reduce the GORD. I want to try the fast 800/ BSD although I can’t do fasts because of the GORD just yet, maybe later. I’ll cut down on carbs – they don’t do me any good anyway, and keep to the Mediterranean style diet from the book. I’m looking at eating less and eating well. I might build up some more exercise too – my 11 year old black Labrador isn’t up for long walks anymore, so it’ll have to be my bike

I think I am now ready to tackle the weight but I need help to get going so that I don’t drift off after a week or so . I know how crucial the first few weeks are in getting going with a diet and sticking to it and I need help and advice on getting started and keeping with it.

Hi everyone ! I am busy catching up with the Kick Sugar Summit videos before they disappear but I will be back soon !

We will help you Ikeeptrying !

xx

Update from this morning. The scales suddenly did move, and I’m down to 90.4kg this morning. Just realized that this put me below the 200lb mark for the first time since 2018! I really feel like I have the 80’s in my sights now too. Just need another 0.5kg gone, so hopefully can be diligent this week and make some progress. I’m at the time of the month where I can actually discard, so need to make progress now as I will likely stall again in a couple weeks.

Well done, ArcticFox. Whoop! That must feel great. Surely the 21 flights of stairs contributed. Impressive, even if you didn’t have another option. And great going Ellie Allegra! You sound like you’re really getting your head around everything. I’ve got full confidence in you for the weekend.
IKeepTrying- one day at a time is definitely the way. When I started I had no confidence in myself but was determined to complete 1 week(1day at a time). By the time I’d done that not carrying on never crossed my mind. And suddenly I’ve found myself at 8 weeks tomorrow. You are already winning if you are listening to your body when you eat. There is plenty of time to figure out what works for you – it’s not a race. Honestly. I would suggest picking one aspect and getting to grips with it. Don’t try to do everything at once
There’s buckets of wise advice about carbs on the forums, but don’t be afraid to ask questions here) Fasting is just not eating for more than a few hours, so you’re probably already doing it overnight. Lots of people never do an extended fast and it isn’t remotely compulsory! Stay curious, but please don’t put yourself under pressure. You can do it, because we all are.

NSV- . Huge one for me. I went to the GP for medication review today (not diabetes-related). Off one drug completely and another one reduced. I’m over the moon. I’m stopping the beta blockers I’ve taken for years to reduce severe migraines because my blood pressure is now so (healthy) low and I was getting horribly dizzy every time I stood up- but that’s fine because I haven’t had a migraine for 8 weeks! Feels indescribably good to be in control of a health problem that had such control over me for 30+ years and hijacked countless weekends and holidays. Two fingers to you, migraine! And to you too, arthritis!
Keep at it, everyone. I reckon we’re doing something amazing for ourselves, even on the days when struggle or bomb out completely. Wendy always talks about our ‘why’. I’m finding so many whys and it is changing my life in ways I never knew were possible.

Wow Bryla, your post was an amazing one to wake up to. How fantastic to have such remarkable results at your GP visit. That’ll definitely keep you motivated to never return to the old ways.
Arcticfox, great going on the stairs and the scales. I’d have needed oxygen at the top of those stairs but you have inspired me to tackle more of the hills around here. What’s the worst that can happen 🤪?
Hi Ikeeptrying, I get you on the packing in the ‘healthy’ foods thing, I used to tell myself I was eating so well and yet I piled the weight on and felt bloated. I can’t pass by oats without having a sugar spike, perhaps experiment with dropping them for a while and see how the bloating goes.
Great start Ellieallegra, keep at it, new habits are forming and you’ve got this!
This morning I had my breakthrough at last and I’m down into my final 10kg bracket, woohoooooo!!!! It feels good to see the magic new number appear but I know with certainty that I have to consolidate this. I’ll wobble up and down a bit until it settles at the right side and then we chip away the last 6kg ish. 18.5kg gone, bmi down from 32 to 25.3. One day at a time, let’s do this! Kim

Thanks for sharing all your inspiring posts! Coping with struggles are just as powerful motivators as having successes I think 🙂 Day 4 for me has been a bit different, as we usually have takeout on a Thursday night. I don’t want my plans to interfere with family so went ahead – I decided that today I would just have one meal this evening and nothing else. I was amazed that I was fine all day….no hunger and plenty of water. This evening I enjoyed a selection of grilled meats and salads (Turkish) – all calorie and carb counted and it was great. I had a smaller amount to eat than I normally would have and was perfectly satisfied. It is so great hearing about all your NSVs and improvements in health….whilst my excess weight is an issue, I’m hoping the real change for me will be in reducing my pain and feeling better in my body. I’m not really bothered about my external packaging….I’ve always had a very positive body image (even as obese as I am), but nothing would be better than feeling healthy for me! Keep up the healthy work everyone! 🙂

Hi WENDY and all,
Sorry haven’t visited this thread since week beginning 3rd Feb,mainly because I decided to stop weighing and measuring myself and giving too much thought to it all. Anyway i dragged the scales out of the cupboard today and have lost 8 1/2 lbs and an inch and a half from waist since last weigh ino i think it was 5 th Feb. Go me! 😄

Good point ELLIE re reducing pain..i find my aches and pains are less when i keep away from all grains x

Great news BRYLA re reducing yr meds! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Well done, and I applaud your wise words and sensible attitude
And fab to be only 7 lb away from target. Made me laugh about the ton of ginger biscuits! x

JGWEN,I wish i had seen yr advice to Bryla when i had lost 100 pound,July 2017. Going back to eating more was a slippery slope i took to regaining almost three stone in the next two and a half years. The good news is, at least this time around,my starting point was lower and I have learnt an important lesson along the way.

ARCTICFOX! congrats! 🌟🌟🌟🌟 onwards and downwards x

IKEEPTRYING,one day at a time and you will get there! Just keep on keeping on. If you have a blip and fall off,don’t be downhearted,just get straight back on your horse. And if the scales arent kind some days,,they will be kind another day,and give you a gratifying whoosh of loss! x
Have a fab Friday and a great weekend everyone 🌼🌻🌼🌻🌼🌻🌼🌻🌼🌻

Thanks for the warm friendly welcomes and messages of support
Day 3 today. Yesterday we went a walk hoping for signs of spring, and ended up in a pub (as you do) for lunch – my dilemma was what to have from the menu that was in keeping with my diet plan – so I saw smoked salmon and cream cheese in a brown seeded baguette – I thought I’d aim to eat less even if I couldn’t find suitable food on the menu – it was a compromise The meal arrived with crisps salad and chips (for OH) I only ate 1 out of 4 pieces of bread and the salmon, cream cheese and salad plus a few crisps – I don’t think I did badly. The dog did well though! Oh and a glass of red wine.

Because we were still feeling full from our lunch we didn’t fancy a evening meal – now usually I go into panic mode thinking I’ll starve but I thought I’ve got to get through this issue somehow if I’m going to learn to eat less, so I had a plain yogurt and an apple – and i felt fine and I didn’t starve.

Good luck everyone. Every day is a new day

Sorry I haven’t been around much the last couple of days. I am never far away but needed to capitalize on my last days of sick leave !
Back to work and early starts on Monday.
I will catch up with everyone but I am really pleased to see the thread is thriving and everyone is staying motivated and aware that this will take time.
I just listened to Megan Ramos on the Kick Sugar Summit and the message she wanted to pass on is ‘ Progress not Perfection”. Noone is perfect but what matters is how you deal with a ‘ blip’ , ie you might decide you’ve blown it so you might as well eat the fridge, or alternatively, decide to get back to healthy ways immediately.
Also you may already know this but fasting if you choose to do it needs gradual adaptation , to build up your fasting muscle’
I do like the fact that it retrained me to recognise true hunger signals. For years I feared being hungry so would stuff myself, filling up on mostly junky foods ‘just in case it would be a while before I ate again ‘.I see know how crazy that was.
I am still learning !

We haven’t seen Amz for a while ?? How are you Amz ?
Scottishgal has diappeared too ?? COME BACK SG !!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, go you, Yowzer! Great stuff. You have inspired me to continue to ignore the scales and trust my body to do its stuff for a while longer.
Hope your recovery is going well, Wendy. Definitely make the most of the last couple of days before back to work and take good care of yourself.
Great that you have been able to be more thoughtful about what you’re eating, IKeepTrying. Definitely the first step. If you don’t want to be worried about hunger, dropping your carbs down and filling up on healthy fats and decent protein is the way to go for most of us I find that I still get a good plateful of food to enjoy- it’s just a case of what that plateful is made up of. Once we get to grips with where the sneaky carbs lurk (e.g. in apples) it truly does become easier to put together satisfying meals. Well done! Stick with it.

This thread is lovely, massively motivational and really helping me.
Just a wee update my end, I’m down 3lbs since Sunday, and be been on plan and coped with travel, lots of exercise and a few meals out. Stuck to salads when I’ve been out and turned down all sweet things – small chocolates on flights, biscuits with coffee, snacks at work…it feels empowering. Had the odd snaxident with some salted bean snacks and some pecans but other than that all good.
Logged everything I’ve eaten, really interesting seeing the breakdown and carb levels and it’s easy to see where I can improve…. and apple chopped in a yogurt has been a preferred snack but loose the apple and loose almost 20g of carbs. Though I’m still finding it odd being in a position that an apple is the ‘worst’ thing I’ve eaten in a day but coffee with cream is ok.

Happy with my loss anyway, I know I loose slowly and need to be very strict to make progress. As I’ve been dabbling in a low carb diet for a while I didn’t expect a massive loss at the ‘outset’ as all I’ve really done is make myself committed and consistent so it seems to be working. Just need to keep it up. I’m weighing every 3 days as it seems like enough time to see a small shift but not obsessive, it’s also a good motivator as weigh day is only 3 days a way so I can keep focused so I keep seeing wee clicks down.

Hi all!
I’m in my 9th week and my main goal now is to decrease my waist and belly fat. But I’m also a bit worried about loose skin. Does anyone know what science can tell us on loose skin after weight loss? Is it better to slow down the weight loss pace when your skin has become loose or is the pace irrelevant for the skin in the long run? What other things might help the problem?
Of course, I’m also interested to hear your personal experiences on this!
I tried to search the forums for previous discussions, but didn’t find what I was looking for.
Have a great weekend everyone!

Hi everyone.

SunnySideUp, I remember ‘loose skin’ was something I wondered about as I embarked on BSD . That was in September 2018 . I have stayed consistently low carb since that date and have discarded 30 kilos/5 stone . I have some wrinkly rather than ‘loose’ skin on my arms and at the top of my thighs but I tell myself I am nearly 62 and some slackening is normal . I certainly don’ t have signficant amounts of loose skin. I am a regular faster so maybe this has helped me as Jason Fung reports never having to refer his patients for loose skin surgery after substantial weight loss.

I have just had surgery for a hernia and still have belly fat to discard so hopefully that will eventually shrink as I continue.
That is only my experience . I didn’t ever think about slowing the pace of discard because of concern about loose skin because my health and mobility was improving so much .
All the very best SunnySideUp
Have a great weekend, everyone ! xx

Wendy, I love the thought of progress not perfection. It is a good reminder for me, as I know I am making progress, even if the scales are not showing it at the moment, but even the scales are still heading down a bit or staying relatively steady within a kilo or two, so I’m not gaining and that is huge compared to what was happening to me last year and through the summer.
SunnySideUp – I was just noticing this morning how much better and tighter my skin looks from when I started. I haven’t lost much actual weight yet (around 6kg), but I have lost a huge amount of inches, and I don’t have loose skin. However, I only managed 1 week on 800 cal before I switched to intermittent fasting. Most weeks I’ve done either 24 or 36 hour fasts 2-3x per week, so I think that has helped me to regularly get into a bit of autophagy so that has likely helped a lot.

I really only have a NSV to report today, but I think it is a nice one. Some of my clothes in current circulation have been fitting a bit too loose, so I went shopping in my closet to see what I could find. Also, although it hasn’t really happened yet, we are expecting the weather to warm up in a few weeks, so I need some more spring clothes in my repetoire. I tried on numerous pairs of trousers and tops that have been a bit too small to wear out. Hard to go by size because they all fit so different, but in general I seem to be more of a size 18 now instead of size 20. I tried on 2 pairs of trousers from the same shop and one is a size 20 that still looks obscenely tight across the bum, and the other is size 18 that looks just a bit tight but not bad at all. Both very comfortable though, so I can probably wear a longer cardi with them. I also tried my riding breeches on and I was able to get them on and done up. They were bursting at the seams though and the waist was so tight that it gave me a muffin top, so a ways to go to be able to wear them. I am also down a size in sports bras, and one of my work-out tops that was skin tight before now fits really comfortably (size L rather than XL!). I tried a pair of jeans that say they are a size 20 but fit more like a size 16, and I can’t get them done up yet. I have another pair that are supposed to be exactly the same size and style, but I can wear them comfortably. I tried another pair of size 16 trousers and they fit like the first pair of jeans, so definitely not there yet, but on my way!

Hi Sunnysideup. I understand your concerns regarding loose skin. My experience has been that my body has discarded weight in a pattern that others have also experienced. So for example like others I dropped a shoe size and my collar bones emerged before I started to see substantial inch loss at my waist. It may reassure you to know that so far I am down over 40kg and I have no loose skin.

A few months after starting this WoE I was looking in the mirror on a monday morning at the bruises and scratches on my arms from being on a hedge laying course that weekend when I realised that my upper arms were now very flappy. There was obviously more skin than content. That has corrected itself over time, I can’t tell you when it corrected, it just was noticeable for a period and now I don’t have the problem at all.

I have noticed that with my thighs and spare tyre I go through periods where I start with small dimples, which build up to larger depressions that look like lots of invisible thumbs pressing into my flesh and I really don’t like to look in the mirror, but then the skin smoothes out and there is an inch loss.

My weight loss around my waist has started at the sides and is gradually working inwards, at the sides there is no loose skin. I have gone to having to use a belt to keep my jeans up and have moved from being on the hole nearest to the end, to being close to having to add new holes to the belt. I still have about 6 inches that I want to discard from my waist, and about 10 inches from my hips, the spare tyre is more “foldable” than it used to be.

Hi all, it’s great to read all your posts. Really helps me to stay focused in this WOE.
I’m impressed with those of you who have managed big weight losses. Wishing it was me. Hopefully by the summer…
Think I have hit a plateau, have been doing ok with the eating over the last week, but haven’t been moving around as I’ve been recovering from a bad cold last weekend. No result on the scales so far (weigh day tomorrow), but some results on measurements.
Am thinking of stepping up my game by introducing fasting. I know lots of you do it, do you find that it helps the weight loss?
I will start by delaying breakfast to something close to 16-8.
I will keep on!

Good morning all
A funny weigh in for me – I went down 2.5lbs and then back up 2. I can’t just blame hormones, if I look at my eating there were some mistakes in there towards more carbs and milk chocolate instead of a small square of dark chocolate in the evening. Also I see on other forums so much about extra calories for vegetarians and not counting certain vegetables, I don’t think that has helped me at all so I will go back to my original way of doing it. I have been back 100% as of yesterday and will try my hardest to stick to TRE and a med diet when I go on holiday Wednesday- Saturday.
I also need to start my HIIT workouts so this week is as good as any!

Happy new week, everyone! I love the term snaxident, WindyJulz 😆. Had one of those on Friday night myself.
Olive, I’m wondering how you define a plateau? I definitely used that term myself some weeks back, but have found it helpful to adjust my thinking. If we are seeing non-scale changes, then we know our body is working away at getting us healthier. We are maybe being a bit harsh to our bodies to accuse them of plateauing if the scales don’t move for a bit! The experts talk about plateaus after many weeks of no change, rather than days. Looking at my weight tracking over time I can see that there has been a longer period between discards as the weeks have gone on. But it still happens. The scales haven’t moved in 6 days for me, but I know they will soon, because I am doing everything right (except the snaxident). I can also see the dimpling on my tummy that JGwen refers to.
Can’t really help with the fasting query since I have done 16:8 from the beginning with 24 hr fasts sprinkled in after first couple of weeks, so nothing to compare that with. It can’t hurt to give it a go, but don’t forget to give yourself and your body credit for what it is already doing. Quoting Megan Ramos via Wendy, progress not perfection is the aim.
I came across a visual about what quantities of fat look like. https://pin.it/4wYDiiv. So next time I feel deflated that I have ‘only’ lost a pound or two, I’m going to look at it! 5lbs (just over 2kg) is the weight of a whole house brick! I was carrying around an extra 4.5 bricks with me 8 weeks ago. Mind boggling to me. Every 1/2 pound is a pack of butter that we are not lugging around any more, yet we (me definitely included) can be so dismissive of our progress. I am trying hard to move away from focusing on the scales after a lifetime of programming to think weight is everything, but when I lapse, it is helping me to think what those numbers really represent. 1 of anything, or half of anything sounds piffling. It’s not!!!!

Lots of love and good wishes to everyone for the week ahead. Let’s be kind to ourselves and stick at it together.

Ps good luck for the first week back at work, Wendy!

Hi everyone, so the weekend has been challenging with workshops and conferences – I’ve had much more than 800 kcals over the last couple of days but have tried to keep carbs reasonable. I’ve been struggling with pain for the last couple of days too and hormones are not helping! Still, I never felt out of control with things and am pleased to get back on track with things today 🙂 I certainly seemed to have more energy when I was fasting, although in fairness, the past 3 days have required a lot of physical and mental energy anyway so that may explain the noticeable increase in fatigue! So, I’m happy to continue my journey….I’ve not got any big events for a few weeks now so hoping to have a clear run with things. Hope everyone is doing well 🙂

Afternoon All, I am back from sunny Spain. Not had time to catch up yet with all the posts but I will! I had a gain, drank enough larger, red wine and rum to sink a ship I’m afraid but that’s in the past and right back on it! So starting this as WK6D1 and after 6lbs on I am now 14st 4lbs meaning a loss of 9lbs. I am hoping to shift this gain this week, have already turned down the offer of biscuits this morning and the only drinking I will be doing is water and black tea! If I get to 13st something by next Monday I will be very pleased.

Well done to you all, will have a read through when I have caught up with my workload!

Well done everyone for your progress and keeping going. I’m still keeping at it. I’m gradually getting the hang of things. I felt a bit frustrated when I noticed I’d got some acid reflux this morning but I have to remind myself that it won’t improve overnight and that I need to give it time.

I’ve bought the fast800 journal by Clare Bailey, Michael Mosley’s wife keep it in the family, aye? I was going to buy a notebook to keep everything in but I saw this on amazon and thought, why not? It will keep me focused and organised.

How often do you get on the scales? I’ve been hopping on everyday – but I feel despondent if there’s no change. I’m slowly slowly going down by a few pounds since a started last Wednesday and today my jeans felt looser and baggy round the thighs – I can’t have lost that much – perhaps they’re getting baggy because they need a wash!!

Time to set up the new weekly thread ,everyone !!